Parking brake device in combination with a shift lever for use in a vehicle

Abstract

A parking brake device includes a shift lever pivotally supported on a bracket, a position fixing shaft movably disposed on a shift lever, a support shaft movably disposed on the shift lever and operatively linked with the position fixing shaft, a toothed member fixed to the shift lever, a parking brake cable supported on the bracket, and a hook member pivotally fixed to said support shaft and having a sharp portion and a hook portion at opposing ends thereof whereby upon moving of the shift lever, the hook member is locked with or released from the toothed member and the parking brake cable correspondingly engages with or disengages from the parking brake.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A parking brake device in a vehicle, comprising: a shift lever pivotally connected to a bracket of said vehicle;   a position fixing shaft operatively movable within a first vertical guide slot formed within an upper portion of said shift lever, said position fixing shaft engaging a mode selecting plate;   a support shaft mounted to said shift lever through a resilient member and operatively movable within a second vertical guide slot formed in a lower portion of said shift lever, said support shaft being linked with said position fixing shaft;   a toothed member disposed over said support shaft and fixed to said shift lever, said tooth member having a plurality of engageable teeth formed thereon;   a parking brake cable supported on said bracket, said parking brake cable including a projecting head; and   a hook member pivotally fixed to said support shaft, said hook member including a tooth engaging portion at one end thereof for engaging with one of the plurality of engaging teeth of said toothed member, and a hook portion formed at an opposing end thereof for locking with the projecting head of said parking brake cable, whereby when said shift lever is moved, said hook member engages with said toothed member and the projecting head of said parking brake cable for activating the parking brake.   
     
     
       2. The parking brake device of claim 1, wherein said hook member has a c-shaped configuration. 
     
     
       3. The parking brake device of claim 1, wherein said resilient member is a spring. 
     
     
       4. The parking brake device of claim 3, wherein said spring has an γ-shaped configuration. 
     
     
       5. The parking brake device of claim 1, wherein said position fixing shaft is linked with said support shaft through a bar.